Sophocles authored Oedipus the King circa 430 b.c., a time period in which audiences anticipated and judges awarded such tragedies. The action of Oedipus the King occurs in the city of Thebes where Oedipus lives in his palace with his wife, Jocasta, listens to advice from his priests, and presides over the townspeople. At the time the play begins, the townspeople have come to Oedipus for help, which leads Oedipus to look for additional assistance. This introduces the discovery that the city's torment lies in an unsolved murder. The majority of this action transpires from Oedipus's point of view, which Sophocles uses to demonstrate Oedipus's egotism. Sophocles utilizes the motif of sight and blindness to illustrate this characteristic. Even though King Oedipus appears extremely self-centered through a large part of the drama, Fate creates a series of events that force Oedipus to humble himself.
             King Oedipus thinks highly of himself and expects others to revere him and respect his authority. Oedipus believes that he used his own knowledge to answer the riddle of the Sphinx and that he rightfully deserves to have the title of king: "Consider my power-I did not come begging, the city/Laid its submission in my hands as a gift" (Sophocles Oedipus the King, 83). Throughout the play, Oedipus refers to the episode with the Sphinx because that incident compelled the people to give Oedipus power. Sophocles uses the fact that Oedipus now finds himself unable to help the city again and that he dwells on past triumphs to reveal that egotism causes Oedipus's problems. Oedipus's belief that he possesses better qualities than others contributes to his ego: "He thinks himself, and other people think him, more than human" (Sheppard Debt 69). Oedipus, though of human birth, places himself at near-god level and refuses to accept the fact that he does not deserve such a pedestal.
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